Punjab became the number one state in the country in school education, leaving behind Kerala, Maharashtra and Delhi: Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann

Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann today said that Akalis are opposing the Anti-Sacrilege Act because they know that they will have to answer for their past crimes. He said that the Akalis had joined hands with the forces responsible for the sacrilege of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. One held in Faridkot "public meeting" During the programme, the Chief Minister held the traditional political parties responsible for looting Punjab.

Big statement of CM Bhagwant Singh Mann   

Reiterating his government’s commitment towards public welfare, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann promised Punjab to become the leading state in the country in school education, provide more than 68,000 government jobs without any corruption, increase canal irrigation from 22 percent to more than 80 percent, start financial assistance for eligible women from July 1 and "Chief Minister Health Scheme" Under this, he mentioned achievements like providing free treatment facility up to Rs 10 lakh to each family.

Addressing the public meeting, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said, "The Akalis are completely opposing the Anti-Sacrilege Act because they know that they will have to pay the price for the crimes committed in the past. The Akalis were in collusion with those anti-national forces who had earlier hatched conspiracies of sacrilege. Now he has to face the consequences of his bad deeds, that is why he and his supporters are protesting against this anti-blasphemy act. But no one can stop me from working for the welfare of the public and I will continue to make every possible effort for this."

The Chief Minister said, "The Chief Ministers before me never met the common people because they used to come out of their comfortable homes only after seeing the weather, whereas I am available to the public round the clock. These leaders misused their government positions and acquired immense wealth and built huge palaces illegally. His luxurious mansions had high walls and their doors were always closed to the general public. He remained out of reach of the people and ultimately the public showed him the way out of power."

He said, "The people of Punjab have rejected those leaders who looted the state one by one. These leaders misled the people for a long time, but now the conscious people of Punjab are not going to fall prey to their false propaganda. These arrogant leaders always took the public lightly and ultimately the public ousted them from power. Now that the public is not supporting them, they are upset. Their agenda has always been limited to the welfare of their families rather than the welfare of the public."

Taking aim at Congress leaders, the Chief Minister said, "He misled the public for a long time in his lust for power. These parties had no agenda other than looting state property and exploiting the common people. The people of Punjab are supreme and they stand like a rock with the state government, which has taken historic steps for their welfare. Smugglers, who have represented the Majha region for a long time, have ruined generations of Punjab and the public should teach them a lesson in the coming assembly elections."

The Chief Minister said, "We eat ordinary biscuits, whereas these leaders, educated in convent schools in the hills, have always used gold biscuits smuggled in by their ancestors. These leaders neither have any ideology nor the feeling of serving the common man. They are only engaged in a blind race to gain power. These royal leaders have nothing to do with the common people. Their vehicles, overcoats, wardrobes and lifestyle are not at all like ours."

During this the Chief Minister said, "After assuming power, I paid special attention to the progress and prosperity of Punjab, especially in the field of education. Previous governments had left government schools as mere mid-day meal centres, but today they have been transformed into centers of excellent education. The state government is working on the mission of strengthening the education system and providing quality education to poor students."

He said, “Due to the tireless efforts of the state government, Punjab has reached the first position in the country in the field of primary and middle school education, leaving behind Kerala, Maharashtra and Delhi. The government has raised the level of primary and middle school education, strengthened the education system, introduced smart classrooms and provided modern training to teachers. As a result of these efforts, Punjab is performing excellently in the field of school education and the latest data released by NITI Aayog shows that Punjab is the best in primary and middle school education. “Kerala has taken the lead in middle school education, leaving behind Maharashtra and Delhi.”

The Chief Minister said, “For the last four years, the state government has focused special attention on teacher training, modern teaching methods and smart classrooms and today Punjab is at the top position. Earlier, Kerala was at the first position, but now Punjab has achieved the number one rank by a huge margin. More such efforts will be made in the coming years. Education is the light that dispels darkness and illuminates the world. Therefore, the state government is laying special emphasis on strengthening the education sector.”

He said, “The state government believes that every child should get quality education, irrespective of economic background. We are making every possible effort to strengthen the education sector so that even children from ordinary families get equal opportunities to move ahead. Education is the strongest medium to empower the coming generations and build a prosperous Punjab. The state government will leave no stone unturned to make it even stronger.”

Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “From July 1, women beneficiaries above 18 years of age will start receiving notifications on their mobile phones regarding financial assistance of Rs 1,000 for general category women and Rs 1,500 for Scheduled Caste (SC) women. This amount will be directly transferred to their bank accounts and women who are already receiving social security pension will also be eligible for it. About 97 percent of the women of Punjab will benefit from this scheme. It is expected to be received and the state government has made a provision of Rs 9,300 crore in the budget for this.”

Emphasizing the broader social significance of this scheme, the Chief Minister said, “This financial assistance may not make women prosperous, but it will definitely provide them dignity and self-respect. Women deserve the highest respect because they are the source of life itself. The blessings of mothers and sisters give strength to face every challenge of the world. Strengthening women’s economic self-reliance is extremely important for improving family welfare, promoting gender equality and increasing women’s participation in social and economic decisions.”

During this, the Chief Minister said, “I am grateful to Akal Purukh who provided me the opportunity to pass ‘Jagat Jyot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Amendment Act, 2026’. Whenever incidents of desecration of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji took place, the sentiments of crores of devotees were deeply hurt. God has given me the wisdom and strength to bring this law after detailed discussions with legal experts.”

The Chief Minister said, “The state government has very thoughtfully drafted this law so that no amendment or omission in the future can weaken it. This law will ensure strict action in the future against anti-social elements attempting to commit such sacrilege incidents and no person will dare to commit this heinous crime. Earlier people used to escape punishment by claiming that they were of unsound mind or were mentally ill. But if someone was actually mentally ill, Is unstable, then why does it target only Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji and why does it not hit any railway engine or touch the open electrical wires?

The Chief Minister said, “The state government is working with full dedication to serve the public. We have provided free electricity to households, given more than 68,000 government jobs to the youth without any corruption, renovated roads, ensured savings of Rs 70 lakh per day by closing toll plazas, provided quality education, strengthened health facilities, created modern infrastructure and taken many other important initiatives. When the state government took over, Punjab Only 22 percent of canal water was being used for irrigation. Today it has increased to more than 80 percent. The state government is continuously working by providing grants for the development of villages.

The Chief Minister said, “To provide comprehensive health facilities to the people, the State Government has launched ‘Mukhyamantri Sehat Yojana’, which is the first scheme of its kind in the country. Under this, free treatment up to Rs 10 lakh is being provided to every resident family of Punjab. It is a matter of immense pride and satisfaction that Punjab has become the first state in the country to provide such comprehensive health insurance. Apart from ensuring quality health services, this scheme has also reduced the financial burden on the people to a great extent. “This historic initiative aims to provide universal healthcare facilities to every family in the state and till now people have received free treatment worth more than Rs 650 crore under this scheme.” Speaker of Punjab Assembly Kultar Singh Sandhwan and many other dignitaries were also present on this occasion.